H4189 H4189
Cords, bands, or ropes, specifically the legendary cords by which Orion is bound in the heavens
This rare word appears only in God's challenging questions to Job about the creation. In Job 38:31, God asks whether Job can loose 'the cords of Orion,' referring to some ancient legend about the great hunter constellation being bound or dragged across the sky. The imagery suggests cosmic forces beyond human control, emphasizing God's sovereignty over the heavenly bodies. The term points to mythological conceptions of how constellations moved through the heavens.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Mythological cords or bands binding the constellation Orion in its celestial course. The image appears in God's interrogation of Job, where untying these cosmic bonds represents an impossible feat for mortals. Ancient Near Eastern star lore likely included legends about Orion being bound or dragged, which this rare term references. 1×
AR["حِبَالَ"]·ben["বন্ধনগুলি"]·DE["[משכות]"]·EN["the-cords-of"]·FR["משכות"]·heb["מושכות"]·HI["डोरियाँ"]·ID["tali-tali"]·IT["il-cords-di"]·jav["tali-ipun"]·KO["밇들을"]·PT["as-cordas-de-"]·RU["узы"]·ES["lazos-de"]·SW["kamba"]·TR["iplerini"]·urd["بندھنوں کو"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [מֹשֶׁ֫כֶת] n.f. cord;—only pl. cstr. מֹשְׁכוֹת כְּסִיל Jb 38:31 the cords of Orion, i.e. prob. those by which (according to some legend) he is dragged along in the sky (cf. Di).